making merit in chiang mai

i love buddhist temples.  i love being in them, i love thinking about them, i love looking at all the stuff in them, and i love watching people worship in them.  i've started to think about myself as buddhist, and sometimes say yes when people ask me whether i am.  which is strange, since i've never specifically identified myself with any religion or spirituality that has a name, but also perhaps not unsurprising, given the meditating and listening to zen lectures and reading of buddhist books over the past years, and particularly the past year.  that said, i find the rituals at thai buddhist temples -- albeit beautiful -- fairly incomprehensible.  so when al and katae and kim took us to doi suthep, overlooking chiang mai, and katae explained what i'm supposed to do ... perfect. 

circle around the center of the temple three times, clockwise.  pray. 

light incense.  pray.

place flowers on offering plate.  pray.

light candles.  pray.  

stick coins to sticky rock.  kim is doing the honors here, dressed up in her traditional thai finery.

i still had some rupees left, and this seemed like a good place for them.

ring bells.  the sound prays for you.

find the stick-forest that corresponds to your eastern zodiac animal (e.g., horse, dragon).  put some money in the appropriate forest.  pray!

scoop up some flower scented water in a tiny silver bowl, and pour it over the buddha.  and ... pray!